Rail-bender



Patented June 1, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- E. F. GOBEN.

RAIL BENDER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17. I917. RENEWED DEC- 1,1919.

E. F. 9055M.

RAIL BENDER. I APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, I917. RENEWED DEC. 1, 1919. I

1,342,263. PatentedJune 1,1920:-

lie/60hr JW l' dwardfiihr 605m,

2SHEETS-SHEET 2. 4

UNITED I STATES EDWARD FISHER GOLBEN', OF MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF T0 PATENT OFFICE...

PRESLEY-R. ALLEN, OF- MGALESTER, OKLAHOMA.

RAIL-BENDER.

PatentedJune 1,. 1920.

Application filed August 17, 1917, Serial No. 186,751. Renewed December1, 1919. Serial No. 341,797. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. GoBnN, a citizen of the United btates,residing at Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee'and State of- Oklahoma,have inventednew and useful Improvements in Rail-Benders, of which thefollowingis a specification.

This invention relates to a rail bender particularly adapted for useinbending mine rails, and one object of the same is to provide a bendingmechanism of the class specified of a readily portable character havingmeans particularly applied thereto for effecting an anti-frictionalmovement to render the operation of the main bending element easy and atthe same time positive. A further object of the invention is to providea rail bender with means for bending a rail either to give a convex or aconcave configuration thereto, and to so construct the several partsthat they may be readily operated to cause the rail bending element toshift and change movement automatically through the medium of a handoscillating means which is readily reversible to produce and apply thebending pressure on the rail either in an inward or an outwarddirection. A still further object of the invention is to provide a railbender having a-shiftable railbending member automatically operated by amanually controlled oscillating mechanism to secure the bending aredesired and without liability of injury to the rail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rail bender embodying the featuresof the invention, and shown as looking upwardly from the lower sidethereof.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved rail bender shown applied andthe hand bar detached therefrom. I

Fig. 3 is a section taken on theline 3. 3. Fig. 2 with the hand barapplied.

4 is a section taken on the line 4. 4. Fig. 2, one .of the rail holdingarms being broken away.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional elevation of the ratchet dog and a part ofthe ratchet. disk cooperating threwith and shown in upright position andat a different angle to that shown by Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line 6. 6. Fig.5. V Fig." 7 is perspective viewof the rail bender partially br'okenawayand showing a bending attachment applied thereto for straightening bendsin rails.

The numeral 5 designates ayoke having a centrally enlarged body 6substantially of circular form. as shown and from which arms 7 extendand are bent at right'angles and terminating in heads 8 with slots 9having a contour simulating the head and part of a Web of a rail.Extending from the yoke 5 at points where the arms 7 emanate fromthebody 6 are supports 10 for a flat cap or head disk 11, the supports10 being bored longitudinally as at 12, see the dotted lines in Fig. 2,and throughthe portions of the arms 7 adjacentto the body 6 and the saidsupports 10 and reduced ends 13 of the cap or disk 11 bolts 14 areinserted and have their ends engaged by nuts 15 bearing on the reducedends 13 of the cap or disk. The bolts 14 have their heads countersunk inthe arms 7 adjacent to the body 6' and these bolts may be readilyremoved by. de taching the nuts 15 to permit dissociation of the cap 'ordisk 11 when desired for repair or other purposes. Between the cap ordisk 11 and the body 6 a ratchet wheel or disk 16 is mounted and has theopposite sides formed with grooves 17 which. are respectively adjacentto the inner opposing sides of the said body 6 and capo'rdisk 11. Thegrooves 17 form ball races'for a series of anti-friction balls 18 whichbear against the inner opposing sides of the body 6 and the cap or disk11. The ratchet wheel 16 is formedwith, peripheral grooves 19 atoppositesides of the teeth 20 thereof as clearly shown byvFig. 3, andtherein-rings 21 are loosely seated and free to move. The rings 21 arerespectively formed with-projections 22 and 23,- the projection 22having'side flanges 24 to form a boxing, and with the remainingprojection 23 the'said projection 22 provides a socket for aremovablelhand bar or lever 25.- The two projections 22 and 23 have abracket arm 26 interposed there between and secured by small bolts 27 tothe projections adjacent to the ringsl'thei arm 26 being curved andterminating in an outwardly projecting angular tubular member orcylinder 28 which stands in diametrical relation to the ratchet wheel.16. The bracket arm 26 with its tubular member or cylinder 28 movesuniformly with the rings. 21, these parts having an oscillating move--ment imparted thereto by the similar move- I terminaljof the dogorpawl29randthe outer are adapted to be seated in opposite slots 37bender or bending mechanism in fixed pos ment of the hand bar 25. Withinthe tubular member or cylinder 28 a dog or pawl 29 is mounted and has areduced end 30 normally projected inwardly beyond the inner end of thesaid member or cylinder 28 to engage the spaces between the teeth of theratchet wheel 16 to cause the latter to rotate in enedirectio n ofmovementza'nd in accordance with the adjustment of the said dog or pawl29. The dogor pawl 29 has a reduced shank or stem 31 extending through amovable locking cap 32 fitted in the outer. end of the tubular member'or oylinder 2 8. The formation of the stem or shank 31 provides ashoulder 33 at the-outer end; o f the cylinder "has aninner annularshoulder 3 L Between the shoulder of the dog orpawl 29 and the annularshoulder 34 of the memberlor cylinderr 28, a spring ismounted andsurrounds the" stem or shank 31, said spring operating to project the'dog or pawl inwardlyin normal operating position. The cap 32'hasidiametrica lly opposedloeking lugs orfproj ections 36 whichformedin the outer end oftlietuhular member'or cylinder 28. dog or pawl29 is rotatable with the said cap to disengage the catch lugs 3 6lfromthe slots 37 ,andthe said dog or pawl ni ay bereversed soa s to cause areversal ofioperation of the ratchet wheel or disk 16; i

Thea'rm's 7 with their slotted heads 8 constitute means forapplying andholding the tioii "relatively to ,the rail operated upon, and a bendingelement engages theratchet disk or wheel '16. This bending elementconsists of a screw stem 38 having a head 39 a slot 40 of the same formand open ing outwardly through the head in a manner similar to the slots9 of the heads 8 of;

' the arms? The screw stem engages openingsff41,42, and 43, respectivelyformed in the cap or disk 11, the center of the ratchet for wheel 16 andthe body 6ofthe yoke 5 as. clearly shown by Fig. 3. The openings 41amhave smoothwalls, and the open ing threaded The bending elementconstructedas just explained is located cene tmhy between the arms 7 ofthe y ke .5 and movable inwardly and outwardlythrough the cap or disk11-, ratchet disk or wheel 16 and body 6 in accordance with the feedingmoyement'of the said ratchet disk or wheel 161an d which is regulated bythe position of he qs or pawl 29. la ve y toth t e 20 o he'sa atch tdisk- F 1 Tai p1'yin th lb de 0. bending [m nism,'therail be bent issuitably supporte ed on ts base flange and th heads 8 of the i '1 1erePp ied er th ba l l f hsadan cwb' iapl ion of awn an a he s me t mhelhe d 3,97 9f j e b ndi g l me i' 'e sd to similarly engage the railbetween the points of engagement therewith of the heads ;8. Theldog orpaw1' 29.is'ithen 'turned sozas to causea feedingopieration of theratchet disk or wheel 16 relatively to the screw stem 38- to efi'ect aninward or an outward bend of the rail as may be desired. It will beunderstood that the socket for theha'ndbar 25 will be, uppermost andwhen the bender or bending'mechanism' has been applied as justexplained, the operator inserts the hand. bar orlever 25inthesocketforming part of the rings 21 and then oscillates the said ratchetdisk or wheel 16 to cause the screw the teeth 2O1to exert apullingaction there- On' in either one of two directions inaccordancewith the adjustment of the .said dog or pawl. The anti-frictional balls18 renderthe operation of theratchet disk or wheel 16 very easy andmaterially lighten the power required to actuate ,the bending Y elementengaging the said'ratchet wheel.

In Fig. 7 a bending attachment is shown applied ,and in operativerelation to the henderand consists of a yokevcomprising. ,a lowerhorizontal member .4 1 and side arms 45 with slots .46 adjacent to thefree ends thereofand through .it pull bar 47 :is remow ablymounted."Ii-1 thisqinstance the heads 8 of thearms 7 of the bender .are aterminally formed with concave recesses or seatdepressions 48, one in each,to permit :said heads to be applied overland snugly engage the ball Ofthe rail. The bender jis not modified I in any other particular, and theoperation thereof is precisely the same asin the :preceding disclosure.The object of this: attachment is to straightenrails that havegsurfacebends, as at 4:9, and in the useof the attachment instraightening rails ofathis type, the yoke ,iscaused to :engage'th erail in the manner shown in .Y7V,and with. the lower horizontal member14; under the base flange of the rail immediately.,bfeneatl1the surfacebend, the ,arms 45 of the yoke extend upwa d y at opp site s des of hemi w h h P 11 b 47 place iiihe lats V Th P 1 bar 47 is also i ertethrough the slot 40 of thewhead 39logt1-the c ew teml the heads 8901f thzarm ffi the bender being rested on the lhall of the rail as shown. .;;B,oj 'erating the screw stem 3 to tee th scr w;upWa lybym ans-9i;

the ratchet mechanism hereinbefore described the rail with the surfacebend will be gradually straightened and repair of the rail will thusensue without cutting out the surface bend portion as is the usualcustom. By the means of the attachment, waste of material is avoided anda rail with a surface bend may be quickly repaired or restored to normalworking position.

The improved bender or bending mechanism is light in structure andreadily portable; may be quickly applied to and released from a rail; isstrong and durable, and comparatively inexpensive in its construction.

hat is claimed is 1. A rail bender of the type having a yoke withrail-engaging arms and an intermediate body with a cover disk held infixed spaced relation to the intermediate body, a

ratchet disk between the said body and cover disk provided with groovesin the opposing faces loosely engaged by rings having flanges forming asocket to receive means for operating the rings on the ratchet disk andalso provided with projections, a bracket arm interposed between andsecured to the projections of the rings and carrying a cylinderextending at an angle therefrom and radially to the ratchet disk, thesaid cylinder having a spring-controlled pawl reversibly inclosedtherein, and means movably engaging the outer free end of the cylinderand connected to the outer end of the stem of the pawl for reversing thelatter in the cylinder and looking it in its adjusted position.

2. A rail bender of the type having an intermediate body with an openingtherethrough, a cover disk secured to and spaced from the body, aratchet disk mounted and freely movable between the cover disk and body,the body having rail-engaging arms and the ratchet disk provided withrings loosely'mounted thereon and also embodying a bending elementhaving a screw stem movable through the centers of the cover disk, theratchet disk, and the opening of the said body, combined with a cylinderconnected to portions of the rings and disposed radially with respect tothe center of the ratchet disk, the said cylinder having aspring-actuated pawl reversibly mounted therein, the cylinder having anouter rotatable locking cap to which the stem ofthe pawl is secured, thepawl being movable outwardly through the outer end of the cylin der andhaving a spring thereon between the cylinder and the pawl.

3. A rail bender of the, type having arm s with heads formed to engagethe ball of the rail and an intermediate screw stem and head providedwith ratchet and pawl operating mechanism therefor, combined with abending attachment for removable engagement with the head of theintermediate screw stem, said bending attachment beingadapted tostraighten a surface bend of a rail and consisting of a U-shaped yokehav- 7 ing a rigid base and parallel rigid arms at right angles thereto,the base and arms always remaining in the same fixed relation and thearms adjacent to their free ends being provided with slots therethrough,and a pull bar loosely mounted in the slots of the arms of the yoke andremovably engaged by the head of the intermediate screw stem between theends of the arms of the yoke.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- 8O nesses.

EDWARD FISHER GOBEN. Witnesses HERBERT GIBsoN, E. B. GRUBBs.

